EU MILITARY PRESENCE IN UKRAINE WILL ESCALATE TENSIONS: RUSSIA

Thu 28 February 2024:

The presence of Western troops in Ukraine in any form would lead to a “direct escalation” of the situation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Wednesday.

The spokesperson said that with every new shipment of weapons, Western nations are already escalating the conflict.

If the West decides to officially deploy troops to Ukraine or recruit mercenaries from European Union (EU) states, this would be a “direct escalation,” she said.

Nonetheless, she also noted that “it was no secret” that military personnel from a number of NATO countries are already present in Ukraine and assisting the country’s armed forces in various ways.

During a conference in Paris on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that while there was no official consensus among European leaders, the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine “should not be ruled out.” He also announced that a new coalition would be set up to supply Kiev with medium- and long-range weapons.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, Macron warned: “There is a change in Russia’s stance. It is striving to take on further territory and it has its eyes not just on Ukraine but on many other countries as well, so Russia is presenting a greater danger.”

Among those present at the meeting were the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the UK foreign secretary, Lord Cameron, the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, and the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte. Relatively junior officials attended from the US and Canada.

French officials have become worried there has been no single galvanising western force responding to Vladimir Putin putting his economy on such an effective war footing, and insufficiently clear practical responses had emerged from the west.

He said the meeting, called in haste by Macron in the wake of the Ukrainian frontline starting to crumble, had agreed to focus on five key action areas: cyber defence, joint production of military weapons and ammunition in Ukraine, defence of countries directly threatened by Russian offensives such as Moldova, greater military protection for Ukraine on its border with Russian-backed Belarus, and the demining of Ukraine. He also announced a new coalition to provide long and medium-range strike missile capability.

Insisting Russia’s defeat is absolutely essential for peace and security in Europe, he said it was necessary for Europe to move from words into action so clear decisions are made to build a European defence pillar independent of America.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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